


the things only you can teach me

by hoshizora (lovewing)



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, background Hikawa Hina/Maruyama Aya
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-09
Packaged: 2020-01-05 15:21:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18368744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovewing/pseuds/hoshizora
Summary: “Forgive me for the personal question, and feel free to stop me at any time, but...what do you know about kissing, Hazawa-san?”





	1. Chapter 1

Sayo thought she was better than this. She really did. After all, it was why when Hina said that she had something to tell her, Sayo agreed to listen despite being in the middle of her homework assignment.

“Make it quick.” She said bluntly, although there was a warm curiosity behind her tone. The look on Hina’s face was one she had rarely seen before. Whatever Hina was about to tell her, it was important, and Sayo was genuinely interested. She set her pencil down on the desk and turned to face her younger twin more directly. When Hina didn’t speak right away — which was certainly odd — Sayo raised an eyebrow.

“Well?” She prompted after another heartbeat of silence, “What is it?”

“Onee-chan, promise you’ll keep it a secret?” Hina asked.

Sayo blinked in response, not sure if she should be insulted or not. Why would she go around spilling Hina’s secrets? “You know I’m not the type to gossip.” She said, pursing her lips, “But yes, fine, I _promise_.”

“I know you won’t gossip!” Hina said, sticking out her lower lip, “I just wanted to make sure! Anyways…” She cupped her hands around her mouth, lowering her voice to a whisper, “Aya-chan and I _kissed_.”

Sayo didn’t even react at first. It took a few long seconds for the gears in her brain to start turning, processing what Hina just said. She was becoming increasingly aware of the warmth that traveled up the back of her neck and to her ears.

“ _Huh_?” She asked, eyes widening, “You and Maruyama-san—?”

“ _Yes_!” Hina responded loudly, cutting her off, “We _kissed_! Onee-chan, it was so magical!” Her previous whisper was long forgotten, “I thought there was no way it was going to feel that good and that soft, especially with Aya-chan being the way she is, but—” She exhaled a dreamy sigh, “—it was _so_ nice, kissing her, it felt so wonderful! The best feeling in the world, really.”

“Shh, Hina, you’re being too loud.” Sayo hissed, momentarily snapping back into her familiar authoritative nature, “Do you want to wake up the whole house?”

“But—”

“ _Shh_.”

Hina fell back onto Sayo’s bed, rolling back and forth to display her excitement. It was still annoying, but at least she was quiet now. Plus, the words Hina said were finally beginning to make sense in Sayo’s head, as embarrassing as it was.

She had been getting better at this recently — better at not feeling like she was falling behind her sister in everything they did. It had taken a long time to not compare and contrast every single decision she made, every single step she took to Hina.

But for some reason, that flare of jealousy and irritation and desperation and a hundred other things at once returned, tightening her chest. Sayo glanced down, clearly deep in thought.

“What’s wrong, onee-chan?” Hina asked, her voice pleasantly quieter and less grating this time, “You’re not mad, are you?”

“Why would I be mad?” Sayo asked, unable to keep the irritation out of her voice.

“I dunno. I told you because I thought you’d be happy for me.” Hina pouted slightly, “You don’t seem happy at all.”

Sayo shook her head, “It’s not that. Of course I’m happy for you. I’m…” She clenched the fabric of her pajama pants, “...I don’t know. It’s surprising for some reason.”

“Why is it surprising? Doesn’t everyone our age kiss someone sooner or later?” Hina responded simply, tilting her head to the side in genuine curiosity, “I’m glad I finally had one with Aya-chan, but you’ve definitely kissed someone before right, onee-chan?” It was phrased innocently enough, but Sayo could hear the expectation in her voice.

She didn’t know what came over her, but she spoke before she could stop herself. Perhaps it was the sudden, burning desire to prove herself worthy to Hina, to prove that she could finally beat her at something.

“Of course.” She said, only a little bit stiffly.

Her face turned beet red immediately.

“Oh?” There was a teasing lilt to Hina’s voice, “You never told me that! With who, with who?” She pressed.

“None...none of your business.” Sayo said, turning away from her sister.

“Was it as magical as mine?” Hina asked, completely disregarding Sayo’s non-committal answer, “As soft and sweet and wonderful?” A heartbeat of a pause, before she leaned in, “ _Please_ tell me who it was! I _promise_ to keep it a secret!”

“It was all of those things.” Sayo replied, clearing her throat. She had never felt lamer in her entire life. She was usually good at keeping a reasonably professional demeanor as well, even when half-assing her way through a difficult question, but this was by far the most lying (and the _worst_ lying) she had ever done.

“How sweet!” Hina exclaimed, eyes sparkling, “Oh, I bet you kissed your _girlfriend_ huh? I doubt onee-chan is the type to just kiss anyone she’s not in a serious relationship with.” As usual, her commentary was loud and mostly uncalled for, but Sayo was too busy wallowing in her own internal struggle to react to it.

“It’s getting late and I need to finish my homework.” Sayo said coolly, the reddening of her cheeks finally fading away.

Hina stood up from the bed, but made no movement towards the door. It was clear that she wanted to say something else, but Sayo kept her mouth shut and instead opted to take a sip from the mug of now lukewarm tea on her desk. She was too tired to talk to Hina about this any further.

“Was it with Tsugu-chan?” Hina asked, her voice quiet.

“ _Huh_?!” Sayo sputtered, spraying her drink all over her assignment. She gasped, grabbing a handkerchief and dabbing at the mess immediately.

“It _is_ her, isn’t it?” Hina beamed, clearly pleased with her guess, “I _knew_ it! Okay, goodnight onee-chan! Good luck with your homework.” She floated over to the desk, peering over Sayo’s shoulder, “Oh, the answer for that one is 3, by the way. You forgot to finish the equation.” With a cheery wave, she waltzed out of the bedroom.

Sayo clenched her fists, a storm of emotions whirling within her stomach. Her brain seemed to be going at a hundred miles per hour; her heart seemed to beat a thousand times per minute.

Eventually she rested her head against her desk, eyes shut.

How was she going to get herself out of this one?

* * *

A missed call from Sayo? That was definitely unusual. Although Tsugumi and Sayo had exchanged numbers when they first got to know each other at the cafe’s baking class, it wasn’t as if they contacted each other often enough for it to feel _normal_.

Tsugumi had to admit, though, that it was nice to hear from her. Maybe she needed to know something about baking? A simple text would have been fine then.

Weighing her options, Tsugumi eventually decided that a call back couldn’t wait. What if it was an emergency?

“Go on ahead.” She told the rest of her bandmates, waving them off when Himari and Tomoe turned to look back at her, “I have to make a quick call.” With that, she turned around, pressing the phone to her ear.

Sayo picked up after precisely three rings, which Tsugumi smiled at. It was just like her, to wait for the “correct” amount of rings before answering the phone.

“Hello?” Sayo’s voice felt surprisingly softer to Tsugumi’s ears than usual, but perhaps it was the distortion of the phone call.

“Sayo-san, it’s me. You called earlier? Sorry I didn’t answer, my phone was on silent.” A pause, before Tsugumi asked a bit nervously, “Is everything all right? You don’t usually call me.” She paused before hastily adding, “Not that it’s a bad thing of course! I’m here for you always!” She paled immediately, suddenly glad that Sayo couldn’t see her. _Why do I always say something stupid_? Tsugumi thought, closing her eyes in both regret and frustration.

“Ah, yes, Hazawa-san.” Sayo cleared her throat. Tsugumi could hear the quietest of chuckles, and she felt her cheeks redden slightly. Did Sayo find her funny?

“Yes, um, everything is all right.” Sayo continued, “It’s just...I have a favor to ask of you.”

Tsugumi didn’t respond, prompting Sayo to continue talking. She was already making a mental list of baking tips to offer her.

“I...may require some more lessons from you.” Sayo continued, voice straining a bit.

“Lessons from my mother, you mean?” Tsugumi piqued, “I’m not sure if we’re holding another event like that anytime soon, but you can always come to the cafe and—”

“N-no,” Sayo cut her off, “Not from your mother. This isn’t, um, about baking or anything like that.”

“Oh.” Tsugumi said, absolutely stumped. She heard Sayo exhale deeply.

“Forgive me for the personal question, and feel free to stop me at any time, but...what do you know about kissing, Hazawa-san?”

Tsugumi dropped her phone. The smartphone landed with a terrible _smack_ onto the concrete sidewalk. It was loud enough that the rest of Afterglow, who were waiting idly twenty feet away all turned around to look at what happened.

“Oi, Tsugu, you okay?” Tomoe yelled loudly, already jogging over to where she was standing. Tsugumi waved her hands frantically, signalling her to stop, “I’m fine! It’s fine! I’m _fine_!”

She picked up her phone, wincing a bit at the slight dent that it had made into the casing and placed it gently back against her ear.

“Is everything all right?” Sayo asked, clearly concerned, “I heard a loud noise.”

“Everything is fine.” Tsugumi replied, her voice shaky, “I just, um, well, um, my phone — anyways, _kissing_?”

There was a terrible stretch of silence before Sayo finally spoke. “Yes, kissing. I’m aware that this conversation comes completely out of the blue.”

“You...are correct.” Tsugumi replied, still a bit stunned. Words weren’t forming properly in her throat. Everything felt like it was in slow motion.

“But my favor to ask you is...would you be willing to kiss me a few times? We can schedule it any time that works for you, as long as it does not coincide with our band practices and academic activities. And wherever is most comfortable for you is fine. A few appointments, really, maybe four.” A pause, “I can explain it to you further in person.”

It sounded as if she was scheduling some sort of professional meeting rather than _kissing_. Tsugumi flushed, her brain still trying to catch up with what was happening.

“Okay.” She finally said, noticing the glances the rest of her members were now giving her from afar. It was becoming much more than a quick phone call.

“Okay?” Sayo echoed.

“Okay as in...let’s...schedule a time to...to…” Tsugumi gulped, “To do...that. This is clearly, um, something important to you Sayo-san, and I would love to help you with anything you need. I am a bit confused as to _why_ you’re asking _me_ of all people, but...but I will definitely…help.” She winced.

There was silence, and then Tsugumi heard a loud sigh of relief.

“Thank you. As I said, I will tell you about this further in person. How about we meet after school today? Or is that too soon? Roselia doesn’t have practice today, so—”

“Today is fine.” Tsugumi said quickly, “I will meet you at…?”

“How about outside the shopping mall?”

“Outside the shopping mall sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“See you then.”

“See you then.” Tsugumi echoed in response.

Despite the finality of their words, Sayo didn’t hang up.

“Er...Hazawa-san, do you prefer mint or strawberry?”

Tsugumi furrowed her brow, confused. “Strawberry I suppose.” She could hear some sort of shuffling on the other side, as if Sayo was rifling through her bag.

“Strawberry lip balm it is, then.”

Tsugumi flushed immediately. In fact, it was the darkest shade of red she had ever felt herself turning.

“Goodbye, Hazawa-san. I will see you later today.”

And with that, the line went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a multi-chaptered sayotsugu fake dating-ish fic! I'm not used to writing multi-chaptered fics, but I really want to finish this one! Thank you for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments so far! ;_;

Sayo hadn’t been able to get much rest last night. She was usually pretty good at calculating her hours of sleep so that she would wake up at the most productive, ideal part of her sleep cycle, but she had woken up that morning dizzy and groggy. Then again, she had never been much of a morning person anyways.

Still, she hadn’t been able to shake the conversation she had with Hina last night out of her mind. Sayo had dug her own grave and it was too late to climb out of it. As uncomfortable as it was, she knew she had to keep this going.

There was one thing that was bugging her, though: why did Hina mention Hazawa Tsugumi of all the people Sayo could have hypothetically kissed? It wasn’t as if they were incredibly close, were they? She admitted that she got along well with Tsugumi, but that was all their relationship was: the beginning of an innocent friendship.

The curiosity was so bad that by the time Sayo was out the door and heading towards school, she pulled out her phone to text Hina.

 

_Hina._

 

She had barely pressed the _send_ button when the message was read. Hina immediately responded.

 

 _Onee-chan?!_  
_What’s up?!_  
_I’m sorry I left so early this morning, Aya-chan wanted to meet up before we had to go to school!_  
_Turns out she really missed me_ 😙❤️🥰  
_Ahhh onee-chan what do I do?_  
_The feelings she gives me… it’s more than boppin’!_ 💓

 

Sayo frowned, unable to help but feel slightly irritated. Did Hina really have to send each sentence as separate texts? It made her phone buzz annoyingly repeatedly. Then again, it was similar to how Hina talked in reality.

 

_Just wanted to ask you something. Why did you mention Hazawa-san last night?_

 

Once again, Hina replied right away.

 

  
_Huh, why do you ask that?_  
_Is Tsugu-chan not the one you kissed?_ 🤔  
_It was an honest guess, really!_  
_Don’t you two get along really well?_  
_I’ve seen you at her cafe more than a few times!_  
_You even hang out outside of CIRCLE activities! I’m jealous~_ 🥺  
_I wanna hang out with onee-chan a lot tooooo!!_  
_Anyways, I’ve been thinking for awhile that onee-chan and Tsugu-chan must get along really well!_  
_Even though Tsugu-chan is a bit clumsy, she’s pretty friendly, isn’t she?_ 😊  
_It just makes you want to root for her all the time!_  
_I think that type of personality goes along well with yours, onee-chan! ♪_  
_I just think you two are compatible, that’s all_ 💖

 

Sayo stopped in her footsteps, scanning the message as if she was attempting to break it down and analyze it. What did Hina mean by that last part? Her and Tsugumi...compatible? Were they? She had never thought about that before. It was true that they got along well, but it was hard to _not_ get along with someone like Tsugumi. She was an earnest and good person, and Sayo had no reason to find any fault in her.

Could she imagine herself kissing her, though?

The thought of it was enough to make that now-familiar tendril of warmth rise up the back of her neck. It was as if someone had started a fire on the surface of her skin. Why was it so embarrassing to think about? It wasn’t as if Sayo _wasn’t_ interested in kissing other girls, but the thought of kissing Tsugumi of all people was… well…

 There was no word to describe it. The feeling she felt in her stomach at the mere hypothetical thought of kissing her was foreign and unfamiliar. It felt akin to the throbbing excitement she felt just moments before going on stage, but there was something pleasantly warm and sweet about it too. It was certainly not something Sayo was used to feeling.

It absolutely frustrated her, not knowing what exactly she felt. She couldn’t put a name to it.

She would simply just have to find out then. Glancing down at her phone, Sayo slowly moved her finger to her contact list, scrolling through her list of names until she landed on Tsugumi’s.

It was only her who could teach her what this weird, bizarre feeling was.

 

* * *

 

Tsugumi saw Sayo right away. In true Hikawa Sayo fashion, the girl had stationed herself in front of the shopping mall in a spot that was easy to see, but was also under the shade of an awning. It was, in every way, a practical spot.

Tsugumi pulled out a tube of chapstick from her bag, hastily rubbing some onto her lips. She had done this so much throughout the day that even Moca had questioned her about it, but she had played it off. For some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to tell the rest of her bandmates what her plans after school were.

To be honest, she didn’t really understand it herself.

She had thought about it the entire day — why did Sayo want to kiss _her_ of all people? And why did she want _lessons_ on kissing? Wasn’t kissing supposed to be a thing that came naturally? It always happened that way in the movies.

“Hi Sayo-san,” She said as she approached the older girl, her voice soft and only a little bit shaky, “I hope you weren’t waiting too long.”

“Hazawa-san.” Sayo said, looking up from her smartphone and promptly storing it away in her bag. She shook her head, “I wasn’t waiting long, no. I knew you would show up on time.” She said, smoothing a strand of stray hair behind her ear, “Anyways, shall we?”

Tsugumi froze, unable to stop the heat flowing into her cheeks. Were they going to kiss _now_? Right _here_? In front of the double doors of the mall?

“Um.” She began, holding up her hands, “Not here.”

“Not here?” Sayo asked, clearly perplexed.

“Not in front of all these people.” Tsugumi said, even though the front of the mall wasn’t that crowded at the moment. People were still filtering in and out of the entrance though, but no one seemed to be paying them any attention.

Sayo continued to stare at her for a second before she smiled, shaking her head, “I’m not going to kiss you right _now_ , Hazawa-san. That will come later.” She cleared her throat, “As promised, I’m going to explain this whole situation to you further.”

Tsugumi would have collapsed right then and there from sheer embarrassment. It was now obvious to Sayo just how much she was thinking about kissing her, and it was taking all of her self-control to not bury her face in her hands.

“Long story short, I believe I’m missing out on a valuable experience by...not, uh, dating someone.” Sayo began, wringing her hands in front of her as she spoke. Her usually placid expression was falling apart. It was the first time Tsugumi had ever seen her act like this.

Sayo continued speaking, “I believe...it will be, um, beneficial for my passion as a musician to… kiss someone. It will inspire me to be a more talented musician, as I admit that technicality is not the only thing that makes an artist great. There has to be emotion there, too.” The more Sayo spoke, the more Tsugumi had trouble believing that it was _actually_ the true reasoning behind this, but she kept her mouth shut.

Sayo must have her own reasons and Tsugumi wasn’t going to question that. She wanted to help her no matter what. In fact, the troubled look on Sayo’s face made Tsugumi want to help her even more.

“But why me, Sayo-san?” Tsugumi asked, “I’m...admittedly not the most experienced at kissing,” She offered an embarrassed smile, “I actually have _never_ kissed anyone before.”

Sayo’s eyes widened a bit, “Really?”

“Yes, really. Is that so surprising?” Tsugumi asked, frowning.

“No, it’s just that...the other day I heard that it was normal for others our age to kiss and date, so I thought perhaps I was lacking in important experience.” Sayo sunk her teeth into her lower lip.

“Hm, I wouldn’t say it’s an uncommon thing to do.” Tsugumi commented, furrowing her brow, “But I don’t think it’s an universal experience, either. I think everyone just goes at their own pace.”

“Is that so?” Sayo replied, mulling over Tsugumi’s words, “I think that might be why it’s _you_ I want to learn from, then. I hear that we are quite compatible.”

“Really?” Tsugumi flushed, “Are we?”

“Don’t you think we are?”

Tsugumi laughed, “I guess we are similar in some ways, Sayo-san.”

Sayo smiled.

 _What a pretty smile_. Tsugumi thought, suddenly feeling a lot more relaxed than she did when she arrived. Sayo was certainly intimidating in some ways, and this whole situation was the most stressful thing she had experienced in a long time, but Tsugumi trusted Sayo — and trust was the most important thing of all.

“Well,” Tsugumi said, pressing her hands together, “What did you want to start with today? This is about making you a better musician, right?”

“How about we create a controlled environment that can lead to a hypothetical kiss between us?” Sayo suggested, lifting a hand to her chin. It was clear that she was thinking hard about this. “Perhaps we can look directly into each other’s eyes at varying distances—”

Tsugumi didn’t know where the sudden courage came from — perhaps it was the intense feeling of wanting to help Sayo no matter what, no matter how — but she reached forward and held Sayo’s free hand.

“How about we stop treating this like a science experiment?” She suggested.

Sayo froze.

The courage in Tsugumi disappeared as quickly as it came and she loosened her fingers immediately, pulling away slightly. “I’m sorry, Sayo-san—” She began hurriedly, “I don’t know why—”

Sayo held onto her hand, yanking it slightly to keep  Tsugumi from pulling back. “N-no, you’re right.” Sayo said, stammering slightly, “I have to be more relaxed. It’s like what you taught me back at your cafe.” She closed her eyes briefly, as if she was regaining her composure.

“I do want to make this as real as possible, though.” She said, voice steady again, “As _genuine_ as possible. Hazawa-san, are you perhaps open to the idea of...pretending to date me?”

“Huh?” Tsugumi asked, jaw dropping. What happened to _just_ kissing lessons?

“In order to best, um, recreate the feelings of young love, I think we should at least _pretend_ to be in a relationship.” Sayo said, offering a somewhat nervous smile, “How does that sound? Of course, we will not be in a real relationship. We don’t like each other romantically, after all.”

She was right. They had no real, romantic emotions invested in this. Tsugumi wanted to help Sayo as a _friend_. There was absolutely no reason to be so worked up over a pretend relationship.

“If it will help inspire you, then okay.” Tsugumi eventually agreed, nodding, “Let’s try that.”

She hadn’t noticed that they had been holding hands this entire time. It felt almost strangely natural, holding Sayo’s palm in her own. She had held hands with her bandmates before, and Himari especially loved to hold hands while walking or shopping, but this was different somehow.

Tsugumi could feel Sayo’s hand trembling, and it struck her to the core. It was a trembling she wouldn't have noticed if she had just been looking at her. It was a trembling that could only be felt.

It was so strange, seeing Hikawa _Sayo_ , of all people, nervous. The Hikawa Sayo that stayed relentlessly still and focused during CiRCLE meetings; the Hikawa Sayo who practiced guitar until these very same trembling fingers bled and blistered.

“Thank you, Hazawa-san.” Sayo said, offering her a small smile, “It’s almost worrisome, how easily you’re agreeing to my suggestions. You’re not doing it out of obligation, are you?”

Tsugumi shook her head almost too frantically. “Not at all!” She said, “I _do_ want to help you, Sayo-san. I can tell that this is important to you, as both a person and a musician. Besides, it’s just a fake relationship. I think I can do it.” She laughed, “At least, I _hope_ I can do it. I’ll try not to mess up.”

“I don’t think you’ll mess up.” Sayo replied, shaking her head, “There’s no way someone like you can be a bad girlfriend, Hazawa-san. You’re very earnest and kind, and I appreciate that about you. Whoever gets to be with you in the future will certainly be very lucky. Now, shall we head inside?”

Tsugumi flushed, surprised by the sudden compliment. Sayo was definitely not the type of person to hand compliments out like candy, and she couldn’t help but feel a little giddy about it.

“Thank you, Sayo-san. Ah! There’s a new crepe stand inside the mall that I’ve been looking forward to trying—”

“Eh? Is that onee-chan?! _And_ Tsugu-chan?!”

The shrill, loud voice came from several feet away. Hina was standing with Chisato and Aya flanking her.

In a moment of panic, Tsugumi moved to untangle her and Sayo’s hands immediately, but the older girl held their grip tightly.

“Hello Hina.” Sayo said, not unkindly, “Maruyama-san, Shirasagi-san.” She added.

“You’re holding hands!” Hina gasped, completely disregarding any further greetings.

“Well, yes.” Sayo replied. There was a pause before she stumbled slightly, “H-Hazawa-san _is_ my girlfriend, after all.”

Tsugumi’s heart rate skyrocketed and she felt her legs buckle beneath her.

It was only moments ago that Tsugumi thought she would be able to do this. After all, what was so hard about pretending to be in a relationship? It wasn’t as if any real, complicated, messy feelings would be involved, right?

But now?

Now she wasn’t so sure.

 


	3. Chapter 3

“You didn’t have to walk me home, Sayo-san.” Tsugumi said, quickening her pace a bit to match her stride with the other girl. Sayo walked particularly fast, as if she was constantly on a mission to get somewhere. 

“Well, since we _are_ dating now — hypothetically, of course — I figured I would do this. It’d be terrible of me to send you off by yourself.” Sayo said, turning to look at her. She noticed tiny beads of sweat framing Tsugumi’s face. “Are you all right, Hazawa-san?” She asked, slowing to a stop, “You seem exerted.”

Tsugumi laughed a bit bashfully, rubbing the back of her neck. “Seems like you caught me,” She shook her head, “You just walk _really_ fast. Don’t worry, it’s not a bad thing! You walked fast back at the mall, too. It’s sort of cute.”

Sayo reddened slightly. Her walking speed was _cute_? All she did was walk at a pace that would get her from Point A to Point B quickly enough. Dilly-dallying wasn’t her style. It wasn’t as if she put much thought into it, either, it was just how she had always done it for as long as she could remember.

“How is that...cute?” She questioned, frowning slightly.

Tsugumi scratched her chin, clearly figuring out a way to phrase her explanation properly, “Well...it reminds me of a dog really excited to get to its destination, I guess?”

“Oh.” Sayo said, not sure how to take that answer. She had never been compared to an animal before. She wrung her hands in front of her. “I do like dogs.” She finally added, looking back at Tsugumi, “Thank you.”

“I like dogs too.” Tsugumi said with a smile.

Sayo remained silent. They were at the corner of the street that Tsugumi’s house belonged in. And, for some reason, she didn’t want to take the last few strides it took to get there. Their time at the mall was spent doing mostly mundane things — window shopping and sweets eating — but it had been pleasant.

Plus, Tsugumi had held her hand almost the entire time. There had been a point where Sayo tried to let go because her palms were getting rather sweaty, but Tsugumi had held on and insisted that she didn’t mind.

She really didn’t mind anything, did she? It was amazing how well she took everything the world threw at her. For someone who always talked about how remarkably unremarkable she was, Sayo thought she was like a breath of fresh air.

It was why she had even contacted Tsugumi that morning in the first place. There were so many people in the world, so many people in their country, so many people in their town — and yet, no one had ever made her feel as Tsugumi did. It was the same feeling she felt back when they first got to know each other at the cafe’s baking lessons, and it only got more and more apparent afterwards. It only got really obvious when Hina blatantly pointed it out.

Sayo didn’t know what to call that feeling, but she wanted to find out. Whatever it was, it truly _was_ like a breath of fresh air. If there was a scent for it, it’d be how the first rain after a dry period smelled like. If there was a color for it, it would be yellow. If there was a sound for it, it’d be the satisfying strum of a perfectly-tuned guitar.

And yet, there wasn’t a word for it.

“I hope you didn’t mind my sister’s incessant teasing.” Sayo finally said, sucking in her breath through her teeth, “She can be quite persistent, but I know she means well. She was the one who said we were compatible and, in true Hina fashion, she was right.”

“It was fine.” Tsugumi hummed, “I like Hina-senpai.”

“You like me too right?” Sayo asked, not exactly sure where the question came from. It had just appeared, like magic, on the tip of her tongue. It was a strange feeling. Her words were usually well planned.

“Where did that come from?” Tsugumi asked, a little surprised.

“Just making sure our agreement is still in place.” Sayo said, clearing her throat in an attempt at a recovery, “ _We’re_ the ones who are pretending to date, after all.”

Tsugumi laughed, "Of course I like you too, Sayo-san."

And then silence fell again.

It was weird, how silence with Tsugumi felt comfortable instead of forced. Sayo was one to prefer silence over wordy conversations anyways, but the silence she usually found herself in was always completely practical. Silence at the library while studying; silence during band practice while concentrating on composition sheets and performance notes; silence during a train ride with Roselia so that they wouldn’t wake Ako, who had fallen asleep on Rinko’s shoulder.

But there was no rhyme or reason for this silence with Tsugumi.

It simply _felt_ nice.

“Well, my house is right around the corner. I should get going, it’s already dark and I don’t want you to travel too far to get home.” Tsugumi said, distancing herself from Sayo’s side, “But today was fun, Sayo-san. I have to admit, I was a little intimidated at first.”

Sayo made a move to apologize, but Tsugumi raised her hands, “Not because you’re an intimidating person or anything! It’s just when you said you wanted me to kiss you this morning, I got really nervous. I didn’t want to let you down or disappoint you. So I’m glad that you seem to accept me as I am.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Sayo said, itching at her chin before adding a little quietly, “I _do_ want you to kiss me, though, eventually.” She paused before she added hastily, “For inspiration, of course. Roselia’s music can be quite romantic and dramatic, believe it or not, and a genuinely emotional performance is a skilled one, so I’d like as much of a realistic experience as I can get—”

Tsugumi suddenly closed the gap between them, hand reaching towards Sayo. Her fingers softly brushed the skin beneath Sayo’s eye, her face only inches away. All Sayo could see were chestnut-colored irises. All Sayo could hear was the sound of her own heart throbbing, throbbing, _throbbing_.

“Ah, sorry Sayo-san.” Tsugumi’s voice was quiet, focused, “There’s an eyelash underneath your eye—ah, there, I got it.” She stepped back, grinning a bit shyly, “Sorry. I was going to tell you, but I didn’t want to interrupt you while you were speaking, but then I figured I’d just get rid of it myself to spare you the trouble, but then I ended up interrupting you anyways. Silly, right?” She giggled, “I always end up making things more troublesome.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Sayo said, not exactly sure what Tsugumi said because honestly, she could hardly hear her over the sound her own heartbeat. Speaking of which, _why_ was it so frustratingly loud all of a sudden? “Did you hear that?” She asked, frowning.

“Hear what?”

_Thump._

“My heartbeat. It got really loud for a second, and really fast.”

 _Thump thump_.

Tsugumi looked surprised, before her expression melted into a warm smile,  “I didn’t hear anything.”

 _Thump thump thump_.

“Oh. All right then.” Sayo said, frowning, “Well, anyways, thank you for today. I’m sorry if I’m roping you into something troublesome.”

“Not troublesome at all! It was actually pretty fun. I like hanging out with you.” Tsugumi said, and then lifted her fists in a sign of support, “I’m rooting for you, Sayo-san! I hope you achieve whatever you want to achieve by, um, pretending to date me. Inspiration as a musician, right? I’ll try to help you as much as I can!”

“Thank you.” Sayo replied, her heart finally calming down. 

Tsugumi glanced over her shoulder at her house, before turning back to Sayo, “Text me when you get home, okay?”

“Why?” Sayo asked, inclining her head. Was there something Tsugumi wanted to talk about over text messaging specifically? “Is there something you have to send me via file attachment?”

Tsugumi blinked before she giggled, shaking her head. “No! There isn’t. I just want to make sure you get home safe. You can’t make your girlfriend worry about you, Sayo-san.” She said, before adding as an afterthought, “Your future girlfriend, I mean. It’s good practice to let someone know that you made it home safely!”

“I’m learning a lot from you today after all.” Sayo let out a sigh of relief, “Alright. I will contact you when I’m home.” A pause, “And tomorrow too, I suppose. Will a good morning message be okay?”

“I’d like that!” Tsugumi beamed, “I wake up pretty early, so I’ll make sure to send you one when I do. Oh! Why don’t you stop by the cafe tomorrow after school?” She suggested, “Bring Roselia too! I’ll treat you to a slice of cake and coffee! I always wanted to give my future partner something on the house.” She giggled, “It’s a silly dream, I know.”

“It’s not silly at all.” Sayo replied after a embarrassingly long pause. She had been distracted by how melodious Tsugumi’s giggle sounded. Did it always sound that nice? “I’ll definitely try to stop by before our practice. Well, then, I should get going. Goodbye, Hazawa-san.” She moved to turn around.

“Text me! Don’t forget!” Tsugumi waved, “Good night, Sayo-san!”

 

* * *

 

Sayo didn’t remember to text Tsugumi until after she finished her nightly college entrance exam prep work and washed off for the night. It was nearing midnight and she doubted Tsugumi was still awake to respond, but she pulled out her phone anyways.

 

_Hazawa-san, sorry for not contacting you earlier. It slipped my mind. I’m home safe and I’m about to sleep.  
_

 

A reply came a couple minutes later.

 

 _Sayo-san! Thank goodness. I assumed you just forgot to, but a part of me was worried anyways._  
_I’m so relieved now that you’ve texted me. I’m not used to staying up this late, and was getting really sleepy. But I was really determined not to fall asleep until I heard from you! I’m so glad I decided to stay up >_<_  
_I know I should’ve just messaged you myself, but I didn’t want to be bothersome just in case you were busy._  
_Goodnight, Sayo-san. I’ll text you in the morning!_

 

Sayo felt a pang of guilt in her chest at the thought of Tsugumi staying up waiting for her. She really was taking this fake dating plan of theirs quite earnestly, but Sayo hadn’t expected otherwise. Tsugumi was absolutely the type to give everything 100% her all. She picked up her phone, tapping out one final short text.

 

_Goodnight. I hope you have sweet dreams._

 

* * *

 

 

Sayo really hated mornings.

As ironclad as her will was, there were some mornings where she simply didn’t want to get out of bed no matter what. Like every time before, though, she forced herself to sit up from her bed and pull back the curtains so that morning light could filter in. Not that there was much morning light to begin with. It had rained overnight and the sky was now a monotone gray.

Then again, it didn’t really matter what the weather was. It was simply another day of working her hardest.

Hearing her phone buzz on the desk behind her, Sayo turned around to look at it. It was probably another reminder from Yukina that they had band practice that afternoon, despite the fact that she had already reminded them last night.

She was surprised to see a text from Tsugumi instead. She knew she shouldn't be, considering Tsugumi had even told her last night that she planned to text her in the morning, but it was still a surprise to see — like a wrapped gift she had forgotten about, or like a stray french fry that had fallen out from its container and landed at the bottom of the paper bag, ready to be eaten.

 

 _Good morning Sayo-san! It’s a dreary morning, but let’s do our best today!_  
_But on the bright side, doesn’t it smell nice when it rains? There’s a word for that! You probably already know it, but it’s called petrichor._  
_I love it! It’s a hopeful, optimistic smell._  
_Anyways, talk to you later! Come get coffee after school!_

 

Petrichor. What a nice word.

Sayo set her phone down. For the first time since it was blistering hot during the summer, she propped open the window and leaned her head outside. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

She truly had never been much of a morning person, but this morning was different.

It was like a breath of fresh air.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick update since I had the muse and time for it! Nothing much happened in this chapter, I'm sorry, but I enjoyed exploring more of Tsugumi and Sayo's interactions. 
> 
> Thank you for all the encouraging comments so far!


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